Astrantia plant named ‘Pisa’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Astrantia  plant named ‘Pisa’, characterized by its upright plant habit with long flowering stems; freely-branching habit; freely and continuous flowering habit; long flowering period; inflorescences with showy involucral bracts that are white in color; and good garden performance.

Botanical designation: Astrantia major.

Cultivar denomination: ‘PISA’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct Astrantia plant,botanically known as Astrantia major and hereinafter referred to by thename ‘Pisa’.

The new Astrantia plant is a product of a planned breeding programconducted by the Inventor in Lisserbroek, The Netherlands. The objectiveof the breeding program is to create new freely branching Astrantiaplants with large and attractive flowers.

The new Astrantia plant originated from a self-pollination during thesummer of 2011 of Astrantia major ‘Snow Star’, disclosed in U.S. PlantPat. No. 12,697. The new Astrantia plant was discovered and selected bythe Inventor as a single flowering plant from within the progeny of thestated self-pollination grown in a controlled environment inLisserbroek, The Netherlands during the summer of 2012.

Asexual reproduction of the new Astrantia plant by divisions inLisserbroek, The Netherlands since 2014 has shown that the uniquefeatures of this new Astrantia plant are stable and reproduced true totype in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Astrantia have not been observed under all possiblecombinations of environmental conditions and cultural practices. Thephenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environmental conditionssuch as temperature and light intensity without, however, any variancein genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘Pisa’. These characteristics incombination distinguish ‘Pisa’ as a new and distinct Astrantia plant:

-   -   1. Upright plant habit with long flowering stems.    -   2. Freely-branching habit.    -   3. Freely and continuous flowering habit; long flowering period.    -   4. Inflorescences with showy involucral bracts that are white in        color.    -   5. Good garden performance.

Plants of the new Astrantia differ from plants of the parent, ‘SnowStar’, primarily in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Astrantia are more freely-branching than        plants of ‘Snow Star’.    -   2. Plants of the new Astrantia have larger inflorescences than        plants of ‘Snow Star’.    -   3. Inflorescences of plants of the new Astrantia have longer        postproduction longevity than inflorescences of plants of ‘Snow        Star’.

Plants of the new Astrantia can be compared to plants of Astrantia major‘Alba’, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons conducted by theInventor in Lisserbroek, The Netherlands, plants of the new Astrantiadiffered primarily from plants of ‘Alba’ in the followingcharacteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Astrantia were more freely-branching than        plants of ‘Alba’.    -   2. Plants of the new Astrantia had longer flowering stems than        plants of ‘Alba’.    -   3. Plants of the new Astrantia had larger inflorescences than        plants of ‘Alba’.

Plants of the new Astrantia can also be compared to plants of Astrantiamajor ‘Shaggy’, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons conducted bythe Inventor in Lisserbroek, The Netherlands, plants of the newAstrantia differed primarily from plants of ‘Shaggy’ in the followingcharacteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Astrantia were more freely-branching than        plants of ‘Shaggy’.    -   2. Plants of the new Astrantia had longer flowering stems than        plants of ‘Shaggy’.    -   3. Plants of the new Astrantia and ‘Shaggy’ differed slightly in        involucral bract coloration.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearanceof the new Astrantia plant showing the colors as true as it isreasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type.Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color valuescited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describethe actual colors of the new Astrantia plant.

The photograph on the first sheet is a side perspective view of atypical flowering plant of ‘Pisa’ grown in a container.

The photograph on the second sheet is a close-up view of typical leavesof ‘Pisa’.

The photograph on the third sheet is a close-up view of typicalflowering stems of ‘Pisa’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

Plants used for the aforementioned photographs and the followingdescription were grown during the summer and early autumn in an outdoornursery in Lisserbroek, The Netherlands and under cultural practicestypical of commercial Astrantia production. During the production of theplants, day temperatures ranged from 15° C. to 30° C. and nighttemperatures ranged from 6° C. to 18° C. Plants were two years old whenthe photographs and description were taken. In the followingdescription, color references are made to The Royal HorticulturalSociety Colour Chart, 2007 Edition, except where general terms ofordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Astrantia major cultivar Pisa.-   Parentage: Self-pollination of Astrantia major ‘Snow Star’,    disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 12,697.-   Propagation:    -   -   Type.—By divisions.        -   Time to initiate roots, summer.—About one month at air            temperatures about 15° to 18° C.        -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, summer.—About four            months at air temperatures about 15° to 18° C.        -   Root description.—Fine, fibrous; coppery brown in color.        -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching; dense.-   Plant description:    -   -   Plant and growth habit.—Upright perennial flowering plant            with basal rosette of leaves; numerous erect peduncles            support umbels of flowers held well above the foliar plane;            moderately vigorous growth habit.        -   Plant height, soil level to top of inflorescences.—About 56            cm.        -   Plant height, soil level to top of foliar plane.—About 23.8            cm.        -   Plant width.—About 40.3 cm.        -   Flowering stem description.—Arrangement: Branching mostly            basal; freely branching, about numerous flowering stems            developing per plant during the growing season. Length:            About 48.6 cm. Diameter: About 3 mm. Internode length: About            18.5 cm. Strength: Strong. Aspect: Upright to 30° from            vertical. Texture: Smooth, glabrous. Color: Close to 144A to            144B.-   Leaf description:    -   -   Arrangement.—Alternate, simple.        -   Length, basal leaves.—About 9.9 cm.        -   Length, stem leaves.—About 5.4 cm.        -   Width, basal leaves.—About 11.5 cm.        -   Width, stem leaves.—About 5.6 cm.        -   Shape.—Palmately-lobed.        -   Apex.—Acute.        -   Base.—Hastate.        -   Margin.—Biserrate.        -   Texture, upper and lower surfaces.—Slightly rugose,            glabrous.        -   Venation pattern.—Pinnate.        -   Color.—Developing leaves, upper surface: Close to 144A.            Developing leaves, lower surface: Close to 143C. Fully            expanded leaves, upper surface: Close to between 137B and            146A; venation, close to between 137B and 146A. Fully            expanded leaves, lower surface: Close to 138B; venation,            close to 144B.        -   Petiole length, basal leaves.—About 19.1 cm.        -   Petiole length, stem leaves.—About 3.2 cm.        -   Petiole diameter, basal leaves.—About 2 mm to 3 mm.        -   Petiole diameter, stem leaves.—About 1 mm.        -   Petiole color, basal leaves, upper and lower surfaces.—Close            to 144A.        -   Petiole color, stem leaves, upper and lower surfaces.—Close            to 143A and 144A.-   Inflorescence description:    -   -   Flower arrangement and appearance.—Numerous, single, minute            campanulate flowers subtended by showy involucral bracts;            flowers arrange in compound umbels; flowers face mostly            upright to somewhat outwardly; freely flowering habit with            typically about 60 flowers developing per umbel and about            nine umbels developing per flowering stem.        -   Natural flowering season.—Long flowering season, flowering            continuous from late spring to late summer in The            Netherlands; plants begin flowering about nine months after            planting.        -   Flower longevity on the plant.—About twelve days; flowers            not persistent.        -   Fragrance.—Moderate.        -   Flower buds.—Length: About 2 mm. Diameter: About 2 mm.            Shape: Obovate with flattened apex. Color: Close to 143C;            towards the apex, close to NN155A.        -   Inflorescence height.—About 1.8 cm.        -   Inflorescence diameter.—About 3.3 cm.        -   Flower diameter.—About 4 mm.        -   Flower depth (height).—About 5 mm.        -   Petals.—Arrangement: Five in a single whorl. Length: About            2 mm. Width: About 0.75 mm. Shape: Narrowly elliptic;            recurved. Apex: Narrowly acute. Margin: Entire. Texture,            upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Color: When            opening, upper and lower surfaces: Close to NN155A. Fully            opened, upper and lower surfaces: Close to NN155C.        -   Sepals.—Arrangement: Five in a single whorl. Length: About            1 mm. Width: About 0.8 mm. Shape: Ovate. Apex: Acute. Base:            Cuneate. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper and lower surfaces:            Smooth, glabrous. Color: When opening, upper and lower            surfaces: Close to 143A. Fully opened, upper and lower            surfaces: Close to 143A.        -   Involucral bracts.—Arrangement: About 15 in a single whorl.            Length: About 1.6 cm. Width: About 4.5 mm. Shape: Obovate.            Apex: Acute. Base: Attenuate. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper            and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Color, when opening            and fully opened, upper and lower surfaces: Close to NN155A;            towards the base, close to 143B; venation, close to 143B.        -   Peduncles.—Length: About 5.3 cm. Diameter: About 1.5 mm.            Strength: Strong. Aspect: Upright to about 35° from            vertical. Texture: Smooth, glabrous. Color: Close to 143A.        -   Pedicels.—Length: About 9 mm. Diameter: About 0.2 mm.            Strength: Strong. Aspect: Erect to about 80° from vertical.            Texture: Smooth, glabrous. Color: Close to N155B.        -   Reproductive organs.—Stamens: Quantity per flower: Five.            Filament length: About 3.5 mm. Anther shape: Double            reniform. Anther length: About 0.75 mm. Anther color: Close            to N77B. Pollen amount: Scarce. Pollen color: Close to 156D.            Pistils: Quantity per flower: Two. Pistil length: About            4 mm. Stigma shape: Club-shaped. Stigma color: Close to            NN155B. Style length: About 3.8 mm. Style color: Close to            NN155C to NN155D. Ovary color: Close to 143A; ribs, close to            157D.        -   Seeds and fruits.—Seed and fruit production has not been            observed on plants of the new Astrantia.-   Disease & pest resistance: Plants of the new Astrantia have not been    noted to be resistant to pathogens and pests common to Astrantia    plants.-   Garden performance: Plants of the new Astrantia have exhibited good    tolerance to rain, wind and high temperatures about 35° C. and to be    hardy to USDA Hardiness Zone 5.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct Astrantia plant named ‘Pisa’ asillustrated and described.